Fireflies
by Time.Heals.Not
Summary: She took her and ran. Ran away from her memories. She settles down, but finds herself witnessing bright blue eyes all too much. Tricollete Gingko is more concerned that she isn't as opposed to her blue eyed company as she feels she should be.
1. Chapter 1

He had been having a recurring dream. Not a nightmare, but a dream. It was peculiar, and never ceased to cause him to awaken with confusion as he sipped at his morning tea and ate his bit of bread.

The girl, rather the woman in the dream was not someone he had recognized. Her dark hair had flashes of red when the light hit it, but otherwise appeared to be a dark, plain brown. It fell in mysterious waves with a slight curl, which added to the confusion because he had never seen someone's hair fall in such a way, especially when it was released from a tight, tight knot atop her head that made it appear straight.

Her skin would never be described as fair, however the woman was quite pretty, however the olive color was anything but without flaw. A small, faintly pink scar was on her cheek in a line with a tinny curve, which was peculiar, along with a few freckles that were dotted under her eyes.

Oh and her eyes. As if he could forget them.

They were gray, a hardened color. A cloudy color. They were not bright and full of life, nor were they dead. They were solid though, as if nothing could break through her, despite her small frame overall. Her eyes conveyed a kind of toughness that was nothing less than intriguing. He was captivated by this mysterious lass whom had just begun appearing in his dreams.

However, the dream itself was also very perplexing. It was dark, very dark, but then this woman appeared before him, standing, as far as he could assume. No matter how hard he tried to speak, no words would escape his lips. In fact, he couldn't move either, or see himself. It was as if he didn't exist in this dream except for as an audience for this confusing happenstance.

The woman's hair would fall out of it's knot, a light shining in on her, before she would roll her eyes without saying a word before she would slowly fade out and then he would be alone in the darkness…

Then he would wake up.

The sun was shining high in the sky of Hobbiton. Children were playing, helping clogging the paths for the townfolk who were busy working. Among those working, Samwise Gamgee was gardening away around the area of Bag End, making the area look like it were blooming with more and more life by the day. Frodo liked to be left alone during tea time these days, which Sam respected, however he couldn't help but worry about his dear friend.

Nearby, a small hobbit girl was running through the fields, playing with imaginary other children that she tried to create in her mind. Her honey blond curls bounced with her movements as her dress fluttered about her. The young girl's laughter could be heard, which emanated a smile from Sam as he recalled his younger years when he was just as carefree as the Shire children.

The girl let out a squeal in surprise as a bird, a rather large one in her bright green eyes, flew from one of the trees, startling her. Her hobbit feet carried her as she broke into a sprint towards the path in front of Bag End, as she had concluded that she should rush home to tell of the large bird. However, she lost her footing causing her to tumble to the ground, ripping the hem of her dress along with scraping open her knees.

The sight of her own blood made the young lass whimper, which drew the attention of Samwise who was within earshot. Seeing the girl as she burst into tears, he abandoned his gardening to check on her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, before noticing her scraped knees, "Did you slip and hurt yourself while you were playing?" Concern washed over his features.

She nodded slowly, trying to wipe the tears from her face with her dirt covered hands, which only drew some dirt to add to her already dusty looking appearance. Playing outside since the morning often did that to children, and Sam wondered where the girl's mother or father was, since most of the children were well supervised.

"Here," he said, picking her up rather swiftly, "Let's get you inside and clean up those scrapes, alright?"

The girl nodded again as Samwise slowly opened the door to Bag End and entered, "Mr. Frodo!" he called, "You still have bandages right?"

"What happened?" his voice called out before he entered the living space to see the small blond lass sitting on one of the seats, her dress' hem ripped and knees covered in a bit of dirt and blood.

"She was running down the path and slipped and fell," Samwise explained, "I thought we could get her knees bandaged before taking her home."

Frodo nodded, before going and fetching the bandages as Sam washed the wounds. The girl was very quiet as she sat and got taken care of, Frodo noted, as he bandaged up her knees for her.

Frodo then insisted, "Sam, you go finish up your work. I'll take her home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Now go."

As Sam left to go tend to the garden before Frodo then turned to the small girl, "Now let's get you back to your mother."

The two began to walk in silence before the young girl spoke for the first time in front of Frodo, "My mother is dead. I live with my auntie."

Frodo found a lump forming in his throat to that, recalling how touchy of a subject his parents were when he was younger, and could only imagine that this girl probably felt the same way, though she made no indications of feeling the same.

"It's okay though," she said softly, with a big grin, "Auntie is very nice. Lonely, but very nice. She's sad a lot of the time. She doesn't think I know, but I do."

"Why is your aunt sad?" Frodo inquired and the girl's response caused his face to harden.

"I think she misses my mommy."

The remainder of the walk was in silence as the girl hopped a bit to keep ahead of Frodo. They arrived at her hole, the door a dark blue color and the area surrounding the house was plain. Green, but plain.

"Auntie, I'm home!" the young girl called opening the hobbit hole door in a sweeping motion, sounding chip.

"Pashmina, where were you?" A voice demanded before Frodo found his breath hitch and his heart began to pound when the speaker entered his line of view. It was the lass from his dreams, however she looked much more exhausted than in his dreams, also seemed much more irritated, "I told you not to wander far."

"I'm sorry," she apologized sheepishly, "I didn't mean to. I was just having so much fun…and then I slipped and fell in front of this nice man's house."

The woman's gaze shifted from Pashmina, the young girl directly to Frodo, "Go clean up, Mina. Did you rip your dress?" she sighed, "I'm so sorry if she bothered you. She's far too much like her mother."

"She wasn't a bother," he spoke, "Accidents happen."

"Oh, yes, but she shouldn't have gone so far, but thank you for taking care of her," the woman sighed, "Where are my manners? My name is Tricollete….Tricollete Gingko. That little terror is Pashmina…Would you like some tea? It should be ready now…"

"I'm Frodo…Frodo Baggins. And tea would be quite wonderful."

"Okay," she murmured, "Follow me, I'll take you to the living area."

As he followed her through her hole, he realized that it was not incredibly homey as he would expect as most of the picture frames were lying flat against the shelf so the pictures couldn't be viewed, and the decorations themselves weren't pronouncing a homey feel either (except for with Pashmina's room that they could easily see from the living area with the door wide opened and it was decorated with bright pictures and colors). The other bedroom, Frodo assumed, was behind the closed door attached to the living area which had a deep purple and blue theme to all of the furniture. Tricollete invited him to have a seat while she went to go grab the tea, allowing his bright blue eyes to look about the hold curiously.

Books lined the shelves that didn't contain turned over picture frames, and Frodo found himself wondering what could have caused her to turn over the frames, but he figured it would be too rude to ask of the lass whom he had only met for a few moments.

Tricollete returned with the tea, and she sat down slowly on the couch beside him.

"Have you always lived in Hobbiton?" Frodo inquired, not recognizing the name, nor the face of this female and Bilbo had invited practically the whole Shire, especially those from Hobbiton to his one hundred and eleventh birthday.

"No," she answered smoothly, almost hesitantly, which sparked Frodo's curiosity further as the lovely lady's gray eyed gaze dropped to the floor, "We've been here close to three weeks now."

"Where did you come from before?" he had hoped that he could never find the limit of questions this girl would answer, for Frodo was inconceivably intrigued by the female.

"Buckland area," her answer was blunt, yet only gave him a region of where she was from as opposed to an actual location.

"Why did you move to Hobbiton?"

"Why all the questions?" she asked coldly, which was a response that he was not expecting. Her body language seemed to communicate that she was locking down as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry," he stammered, "I was just…It's small talk."

"Small talk," she repeated, "Doesn't that involve getting to know both parties and not just one?"

"Is this your way of asking about me?" Frodo inquired and Tricollete sipped at her tea.

"Perhaps."

"


	2. Chapter 2

They had been talking for quite some time before Pashmina joined them, cleaned up and in a fresh new dress without any tears. They spoke about hobbies, of books they had read, and arrived on the subject of socializing to which Tricollete admitted that he was the first person she had actually met in Hobbiton.

Their conversation was interrupted when Pashmina inquired, 'Auntie Tri, what is for dinner?'

Immediately, and almost instinctively, Frodo thought that the smaller hobbit had said Auntie Tree, which confused him until he realized it was an abbreviation, which made him feel rather unintelligent, however he decided that he had long overstayed his welcome and said that he would introduce her to some people sometime and bid both female hobbits farewell.

He had not heard from the two in several days that was for certain. The recurring dreams had changed though. Instead of a simple eye roll, Tricollete had her eyes shut, her facial expression easily displaying pain. Was she in pain?

A violent knock on his door disturbed him from his thoughts one night, approximately a week since he had last seen either of the Gingko hobbits. Frodo was perplexed by the knock, for he wasn't expecting company, and especially not at this late hour. It reminded him of Gandalf's visits, and he stared down at his hand, minus a finger before opening the door to reveal…Pashmina.

"Mr. Baggins!" she said, panicked, "My auntie…she…" the girl seemed to search her brain in determination of what was the proper word to use in this situation, but Pashmina seemed frustrated in her endeavor.

"What's wrong with Miss Tricollete?" Frodo asked, finding his heart racing at the thought of something being wrong with the woman.

"I think she's sick," Pashmina decided, "Very sick…She collapsed in the kitchen. I don't know what to do! Please come help…You have to!"

Her alarm was necessary, so it seemed and without grabbing a coat or cloak, Frodo took off in a run with the Gingko girl all the way back to her hole with a quick detour to Samwise Gamgee's home for his light was on and Frodo did not wish to leave Tricollete alone to go get a doctor. As promised, Tricollete was found on the floor of the kitchen.

"Auntie…" Pashmina murmured, gently shaking her without stirring any response. Frodo was thankful that she was breathing though, "We should get her into her bed," the girl decided, and Frodo nodded, "You get her and I'll go get her bed ready."

The girl rushed off, leaving Frodo the task of picking up the unconscious hobbit on the floor of her own kitchen. To say he was a bit uncomfortable was an understatement, but he ignored the feeling of his heart's pounding at their proximity as he carried her into her bedroom, which was particularly plain much like the rest of the house. Just books on the shelves and a bed with dark sheets by the window. He gently tucked her into bed before she stirred.

"Mina…should be in bed," it was a mumble, but Tricollete had finally showed signs of life other than breathing, "Go to bed," she repeated, before trying to sit up, "I need to finish…"

"No you don't," Frodo said, "You collapsed in the kitchen and Pashmina rushed to come retrieve me for help. You are going to stay put."

Before she could protest, Samwise arrived with the doctor, who ushered the hobbits out the room so he could fully evaluate her. Pashmina yawned from the couch, refusing to go to sleep because 'Auntie Tri' could not tuck her in.

After about an hour the doctor came out to say that Tricollete not only needed to sleep more, but needed to be eating food more. He had given her some herbs to help her sleep through the night, but she was likely to wake with a fever and would be unable to do much for the next few days while she gathered her strength back.

Frodo would be lying if you asked him if he was surprised by this diagnosis for her exhaustion was apparent the first time they met, however he wondered how anyone would take care of her in this time. Although Pashmina declared that she would be helpful, Frodo feared that the young girl did not understand how important the task at hand was and without careful watch from someone Tricollete would get extremely ill, and Pashmina may not have an aunt anymore.

The thought made him shudder. It wasn't really all that endearing of a thought, and in all honestly he was going to refuse that Tricollete would suffer that fate and volunteered himself to come assist Pashmina, which she gave him the biggest grin one could muster when they were half asleep.

The walk back to Bag End with Sam was full of Sam asking him various questions and Frodo unintentionally being incredibly vague about the whole ordeal. Each answer to a question brought up more questions than answers in Sam's mind, but he dropped the subject upon Bag End being in sight.

The following morning, Frodo found himself walking to the Gingko residence, knocking on the door lightly. Pashmina opened the door, her impeccable grin greeted him as she ushered him inside. Deciding to check in on Tricollete, he opened her bedroom door to reveal an empty bed. Furrowing his brow, Frodo turned to ask Pashmina where her aunt was when a crash came from the kitchen.

Tricollete was standing by the stove, apparently trying to cook something, but instead was clutching her hand in frustration, and Frodo's bright blue eyes picked up on the burns on her hand.

"You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I need to take care of Pashmina," she justified quietly, "But I, ah, seemed to have burnt my hand."

It was burnt pretty badly, Frodo noted, and it was obviously not as much of an accident as Tricollete seemed to have let on, however he decided against bringing up that fact, "Let me see your hand."

She offered it to him hesitantly, her gray eyes staring into his blue, which was both equally startling and comforting. The paradox made both hobbits uneasy as he gently held her wrist to examine the burns.

"These don't look too bad," he murmured, "But you definitely should go back to bed and rest after I treat these."

"But Pashmina—" she began, however Frodo cut her off.

"I am here to help," he said sternly, "And you were given orders by the doctor that you need to fully recover."

"Mr. Baggins," she said softly, "You don't need to take care of me."

"Let him," a third voice joined the conversation, "Auntie, you are sick. Please let Mr. Baggins help you. I promise I will be good."

Sighing in defeat, Tri spoke, "Mina, please go fetch the burn cream and bandages, would you please?"

Pashmina nodded before scampering off to get the aforementioned items. "The doctor said you'd likely wake up feverish," Frodo informed her, causing her to bite her lip.

"That would explain why I am feeling so unwell right now," her tone was not bitter, or full of disappointment, but rather blank. As if a cloak was shrouding her and her emotions, "Did he say what was wrong exactly?"

"He said you weren't sleeping well, if at all, nor had you eaten recently."

The hobbit woman remained silent, however her gaze dropped to her feet. Her gaze remained there after Pashmina had brought what she had been asked to and remained there even after Frodo bandaged her hand.

"Let's get you to bed," he then insisted and Tricollete nodded, as he guided her to her own room that she collapsed into the bed, "I'll make some tea and bring you in some food shortly, alright? You need to rest."

Those words were foreign to her as of late, and he could definitely predict that from her facial expression. This woman was particularly stubborn, he assumed, however, she remained in her bed as he headed to the kitchen to begin preparing food of some sort.

Beginning to cook some vegetables along with a bit of the chicken she had, he took note of the tidiness that was the Gingko residence. Although her choice in decoration was a bit peculiar, she knew how to keep things clean. After the food and tea was prepared, he brought it to her in her room, to which he realized the fever had settled in as she shook violently in her sleep.

It took quite some time, and several cool rags pressed to her forehead before she would awaken, and Frodo would sheepishly offer her cold food, which she took graciously much to his surprise. He had half expected her to turn away the cold food, however upon further thought, he had determined that it was unlikely she had eaten much recently and any food would suffice for her.

After her meal was finished, she drifted back into sleep and Pashmina poked her head back in the room, "Is Auntie alright?"

"Your aunt will be fine," Frodo nodded, "She just needs to rest and restore her strength."

It was decided later that day that Pashmina would stay with Samwise and Rosie at their hole in order for her to be kept occupied since the young hobbit was particularly energetic. She was ecstatic about the whole ordeal and Frodo knew that the couple would take beyond spectacular care for her, though he felt very useless for casting the young girl away like that, but he felt it was necessary in order for him to keep a steady monitor on the girl's aunt, whom spent most of the day sleeping, to no one's surprise.

Tricollete would awaken occasionally and would munch on whatever food Frodo had on hand before dozing back off. She hadn't realized just how overworked she felt and she felt like she could not get enough sleep. The food was nice as well, especially since she had been mainly focusing on caring for Mina for she was very anxious about raising the girl. Food for herself was not even close to a priority to her, which seemed to be a problem.

"Thank you," she said, in what Frodo could only guess was her half-asleep state, however the girl's heavy breathing indicated that she really was asleep, "Thank you…"


	3. Chapter 3

It took about a week for Miss Tricollete to recover her strength and he had spent every waking moment in the Gingko residence. Samwise had visited to check in on them on several occasions, even announcing when Pippin or Merry had said they were looking for him at some point or another, however Frodo felt he had to maintain his focus on helping the Gingko recover to the best of his abilities. Aside from her constant stubbornness in insisting that she can take care of herself, Frodo had no issues tending to her needs (for they were very few).

A particular morning in which Frodo came over for tea (and to check on her, he justified to Samwise and Rosie), Tricollete was healthy enough to get of bed and tend to herself, so Frodo sat as she made tea. After the two sat down on the couch, the door was thrown open and little Pashmina dashed inside, "Auntie!"

The two shared a brief hug as Samwise entered behind her, introducing himself after it became blissfully aware that she had no recollection of him. Pashmina enthusiastically explained how wonderful her stay with the Gamgees was and how she was invited to go play with them whenever she wanted to.

"And Auntie, I learned how to knit!" she declared happily.

"That's wonderful," Tricollete murmured, trying to hide some sort of sadness that had clouded her features, "You'll have to show me later."

"And I'll knit you a scarf!" Mina nodded before scuffling off into her room to wash up as Tricollete requested. The latter sat, sipping at her tea after fetching Sam a cup as they sat in silence.

"What's wrong?" Frodo finally inquired, despite his better judgment telling him not to pry.

"It's…nothing really," Tricollete answered, though it had seemed rehearsed. The perfect length of time for a pause was used, and yet he could tell she was lying due to a resentment and bitterness that reflected in her body language, especially as she sat her cup down, "She's just turning more and more into her mother every day…"

"If you don't mind—" Frodo spoke up, though the words were just flowing out of his mouth beyond his control.

"I do mind you asking," she interrupted, and that settled that conversation abruptly. Sam awkwardly sipped at his tea as he made note of the increased tension in the room that Frodo's almost-question had caused.

Sam spoke up after several minutes of silence, "Merry and Pippin wish to know if you'll ever grace them with your presence any time soon. They're going to the Green Dragon tonight."

"I'll go see them tonight then," Frodo decided before turning to Tricollete, "Would you like to come with?"

The hobbit woman shook her head, her dark brown curls falling into her face, "Thanks, but I've got Pashmina."

"Rosie doesn't want to go, I'm sure Pashmina would be more than welcome to come over," Sam suggested, and Tricollete shook her head once more.

"You two have done more than enough for us," she murmured, "Besides, I think we need a night at home."

Frodo nodded in understanding, and when the time rolled around, both Sam and Frodo made their way to the Green Dragon. As always, it was bustling, and not surprising at all, Merry and Pippin were already at a table and drinking. The duo joined the two, and the opposite duo began to ask probing questions about the dark-haired hobbit's whereabouts recently.

Frodo explained that he was helping out a friend, and then informed how they had met and that she hadn't lived there for very long so she didn't know anyone other than her niece, Sam and him. The two nodded in understanding before inquiring when they were meeting her, or if the two of them were together, to which Frodo flushed and said, "No, just friends."

"Hmm," Merry hummed as he eyed Frodo suspiciously, "So, do you like her?"

"As a friend?" Frodo questioned, "Of course I do. She's quite wonderful."

"No, you dummy!" Pippin exclaimed, "Not as a friend. As a—" he hesitated, as if trying to think of the proper wording.

"Someone worth courting?" Merry suggested and Pippin nodded as the two stared into Frodo's bright blue orbs for an answer.

"No," he answered stiffly. In all honestly, Frodo hadn't even thought about courting anyone before in great detail ever since his journey to Mordor. It just seemed impractical, and he figured that he had missed the prime time to do so, and also no one had even remotely struck his fancy like that. Tricollete was just…intriguing. He couldn't quite wrap his mind for an exact explanation, but she was very intriguing.

"Well will we get to meet her at least?" Pippin asked curiously, "Then we can make judgments about your honesty."

"Soon, I'm sure," Sam nodded, "Her little niece is just absolutely darling. You two will love her. Miss Gingko is very nice as well."

"Gingko…" Merry's voice trailed off as he repeated Tricollete and Pashmina's surname, "I've heard that name before. Did they ever say where they were from?"

"The Buckland area," Frodo informed, "You might've known her family."

"I didn't know them, but.." he scrunched his nose, "I think something happened? That name just sure rings a bell."

"What do you mean?" Frodo's curiosity bubbled up like…well like the lava bursting from Mordor. He couldn't contain it, the question being almost involuntary.

Pippin shot him a funny look before Merry answered with, "I don't know. I just heard something had happened out there involving that name."

"I wonder what it could be," Samwise pondered aloud, "It is probably something good though. Those two are just two kind people."

Pippin disagreed, "I bet it is some big dark secret. Oh, and I hope I'm the one who figures it out first!"

"It isn't a game!" Frodo said suddenly, the outburst earning him several strange looks, "Look, it's their lives we're talking about, not some competition."

"I know that," Pippin retorted before mumbling, "Not liking her as more than a friend? Doubtful."

"I heard that," Frodo grumbled and Pippin shrugged.

"Maybe you were meant to," he pointed out, "I was just saying. For someone who only wants to be friends with the lass, you sound suspiciously defensive about her."

"Because she's my friend," Frodo attempted to explain, but Merry shot him a suspecting glance.

"Or are you?"

"Of course he is!" Sam interjected, "I swear you two just look for trouble these days."

"That's because there's nothing to do!" Merry whined, "These newcomers have been the only hint of excitement Hobbiton has seen for weeks!"

"And it is hardly exciting because we don't know the lasses!" Pippin exclaimed.

Frodo heaved a sigh before admitting that he didn't know when he would see the two next and the situations that prompted the first two visits were not the best, and because they were remedied, he was doubtful that he was going to just show up at their hole uninvited any longer for the sake of manners.

Though, he himself wondered how long that notion would last.


	4. Chapter 4

A week, the hobbit had waited a whole week, despite his mind's urgings for him to pay the two females a visit even earlier than that. He could not hold out any longer and found himself marching to the Gingko residence in the morning. Pashmina was playing outside in the grass by their hole, and she greeted Frodo enthusiastically.

"Mr. Frodo!" she called with a grin, "Are you here to visit Auntie?"

Frodo sheepishly nodded and found himself restricting a small smile that wanted to flash over his features as Pashmina lit up in happiness at his response. The young girl stood up from the patch of grass she was sitting in and sprinted to their door, beating Frodo there in the process. Pashmina swung the door open before calling out loudly, "Auntie Tri! Mr. Frodo is here to see you!"

For whatever reason, the way that Pashmina had announced his presence caused a blush to dust over his cheeks lightly. '_Here to see you_' echoed through his mind before Tricollete made her appearance, "Hello," she greeted lightly, "I'm just about finished with preparing lunch if you would like to join us."

"Oh, please!" Pashmina begged, and Tricollete glared at the younger girl.

"Mina," she said sternly, and the younger girl sheepishly grinned at her aunt, causing Tricollete to shake her head and ushered her away, "Go wash up, and then you can set the table for three, if Mr. Baggins decides he wishes to stay."

"I'd be delighted," he murmured and Pashmina clapped her hands excitedly before hurrying to go wash up. Tricollete turned to him, offering him a seat at their dining room table and a cup of tea to accompany him as she went to finish up with their food. Pashmina soon dashed back into the dining room before fetching enough dishes for three people. Just as soon as Pashmina finished placing out everyone's silverware, Tricollete entered with some food. There was a stew made with rabbit meat, potatoes, carrots, and beans, along with some bread and a leafy salad. She also brought out a fresh variety of fruit along with fresh tea, "This all looks delicious," Frodo commented, astonished by just the shear amount of variety she had made.

"Auntie is an excellent cook," Pashmina informed him with a small smile, "She used to cook for—"

"Hush, Pashmina," Tricollete cut her off, which was just pure curious to the Baggins, "Let Mr. Baggins dish out his food first, he's the guest."

The food was dished out for each of them, Tricollete serving Pashmina before herself and they began to eat in a bit of silence. However, Pashmina did not allow that to happen for very long before she began chattering away, mostly directing the conversation to Frodo.

"Mina," Tricollete said finally, "Are you finished eating?"

The young hobbit nodded before rushing her dishes into the kitchen and then asking if it were to be okay if she were to knit in the living room, which Tricollete nodded before she dashed off again, "Sorry about her," Tricollete sighed, "She's been pretty energetic lately."

"It isn't a problem," Frodo insisted, "She's young, it is to be expected."

"I suppose," Tricollete sipped at her tea quietly, "So what brings you to our neck of the Shire?"

"Just a visit," Frodo said quietly, "How have you been?"

"Quite well," she murmured, "My hand is healing up very nicely."

"Have you been sleeping and eating?"

"Of course," she mumbled quietly as a silence settled over the two. Tricollete stood up before beginning to gather up the dishes and other plates in order to get them cleaned, "Pashmina! Don't forget about doing dishes!" she called and Pashmina groaned, but dashed into the kitchen to start on them as Tricollete poured herself more tea and sat down at the table, "Would you like some more?"

"No thanks," Frodo said, amused by Pashmina's animated hatred of doing dishes.

"Takes after her mother," Tricollete mumbled.

"I can only imagine," Frodo laughed, "Are you busy at all tonight?"

"What do you mean?" she inquired inquisitively, the confusion apparent on her face.

Frodo hesitated, which caused the hobbit lass some concern, however his explanation came forth and was very plain, "A couple of my friends and I are going to the Green Dragon, and I know they'd be delighted to meet you…"

"I have Pashmina though," Tricollete said quietly, though Frodo seemed to know how to foil her excuse almost immediately.

"Rosie can look after her for a little while," he stated plainly, "And it would get you out of your home, no matter how lovely it is, for a few hours."

"I don't know," Tricollete murmured after a few seconds of silence, "I'd hate to make Rosie sacrifice her time to look after Mina after how much Samwise and Rosie have helped out and I barely know Sam, let alone Miss Rosie…"

"She honestly won't mind," Frodo stated, "And Sam said that she was hoping that Pashmina would come over again sometime soon because she was a complete delight."

"I find that one hard to believe…she is quite the handful…" her voice trailed off and he shook his head.

"They didn't seem to think so."

Tricollete remained quiet for several moments, Frodo could almost hear the sound of the breezes outside it was so quiet, but finally she spoke up so meekly that he could barely hear the ghost of her voice, "I suppose if it isn't any trouble."

"It most definitely won't be," Frodo insisted and she answered with a shy, almost hesitant smile which went away as Pashmina dashed through to race back to the living room announcing that the dishes were done and that she was going to get back to knitting.

He decided to take this as an exit, bidding the two farewells before promising to return later for the two of them, which Pashmina seemed to be incredibly excited for. After making a couple stops to announce that Merry and Pippin were going to be able to meet Miss Gingko that evening, along with passing the word along to Samwise and Rosie, who were both, equally happy about the ordeal.

He could barely contain his excitement for the evening—an evening not at the Gingko residence, but out in public where the whole world could see her, but she'd be his…guest. Frodo found himself tacking 'guest' at the end of the previous thought train because in actuality, he was sure that he did not want her in the way that it had been implied, nor her want him in that way. They were friends, and as far as he knew both parties were perfectly content with that title.

As the sun began to set, Frodo set off towards the Gingkos and an extremely excited Pashmina opened the door. The first thing he had noticed was that she was no longer wearing a bright yellow dress, but a deep navy blue one and her hair was tied into a neat braid, "Auntie, Mr. Frodo is here!"

Tricollete appeared, and Frodo found himself reminding himself to breathe. Sure, she wore dresses in front of him before a few times, but she tended to lounge in trousers and tunics, he had determined. However, tonight she wore a gray dress that clung to her torso with buttons up to her collar bone. The sleeves were short and the color of the dress itself drew attention to the Gingko's eyes despite the form fitting top of the dress. Though, as a male he couldn't help but notice that the dress clung until about maybe a third of the way down her thighs, which caused a pink color to dust over his ivory skinned cheeks. She had a black sash ordeal tied around her waist and her hair looked much neater than it normally did, as if she actually spent time combing it excessively. She looked…indescribable.

"So, shall we be off?" she asked, breaking Frodo out of his daze as he nodded sheepishly before leading the two of them (after they grabbed their cloaks) to the Gamgee hobbit hole. Frodo knocked upon their arrival, and Rosie answered the door with a big grin as she saw the trio.

"Miss Rosie!" Pashmina said enthusiastically before throwing her arms around her in an embrace.

"Why hello little Pashmina!" Rosie greeted cheerfully, "And you must be Miss Tricollete that Pashmina speaks very much about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tricollete murmured, bowing slightly, "And thank you so much for taking care of her while I was…ill…and for tonight."

"It is no problem," Rosie insisted, "She's welcome to come over any time. You as well!"

"Thank you," Tricollete thanked once again before Samwise joined the two adult hobbits as they continued on their trek to the Green Dragon. Tricollete was quiet for most of the journey, which honestly didn't surprise Frodo—he had determined that she was a pretty quiet person in general.

Upon their arrival outside of the Green Dragon, Samwise finally spoke up, "Are you ready?"

"I suppose," she exhaled sharply, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's go inside," Frodo stated, guiding her in with Sam following him close behind.


	5. Chapter 5

"Frodo Baggins!" Pippin had shouted upon the trio's entrance, "There you are! We were afraid you had changed your mind and weren't going to come!"

"And look! You brought the lass with you!" Merry commented which caused him to glance directly at Tricollete before introducing himself, "Meriadoc Brandybuck, but you can call me Merry."

"Peregrin Took!" Pippin said excitedly, "But you can call me Pippin."

"Tricollete Gingko," she introduced smoothly, not too concerned about their enthusiasm. She shook each of their hands as they offered them to her, her olive skin gleaming in the light of the pub.

"Can we offer the fine lady a drink?" Merry inquired and the hobbit woman laughed before nodding in agreement. Frodo's stomach churned angrily as a feeling of envy swam through his body rather viciously. Which to him, did not make much sense because it was not as if he possessed her in any case, yet he felt instantly peeved over the idea of Merry treating her to a drink (though he was more unsettled about the idea of leaving them alone if he were to get her the drink).

They found a secluded table in the corner to call their own and Merry soon returned with enough drinks for everyone at the table. Tricollete lifted the mug and sipped on her ale, and Frodo noted how she didn't flinch much like most of the hobbits when they take their first sips. It came natural—at least the taste did, but the Gingko did not seem to mind.

"So where are you from?" Pippin inquired, "Frodo said you were new to Hobbiton."

"I am," she replied with a wry smile, "I'm from a little ways outside of Buckland."

"Really?" Merry questioned, despite Frodo having already disclosed this information to the two. They were just creating small talk to make her feel more comfortable with the group, which Frodo could tell that she was very thankful for, "I used to live in Buckland with my parents!"

"No wonder your surname seemed familiar," the hobbit murmured, "I'm glad to know I'm not the only Buckland folk here…when did you move to Hobbiton?"

"Quite some time ago, but I still go visit Buckland from time to time." And there came the jealousy once more. Frodo could feel the contents of his stomach bubbling horridly in uncomfortable churns. He found himself suppressing a glare more and more, which only seemed to cause more problems as he tried to maintain his attention on his own mug of ale in front of him. Pippin made a note of this in order to tease Frodo about it later, yet he noticed that he was being unusually quiet and piped up with some kind of statement that drew the attention of the whole group in confusion.

The conversation between the five hobbits continued quite late into the night until Tricollete finally stood and announced that she should be heading home, and insisted that any of them could come over at any time for tea or lunch and she would be happy to have them, however as she was beginning to leave, Frodo found himself standing, "I'll walk you home."

"Nonsense," she murmured, "I don't need an escort."

"I was planning on leaving anyway," he shrugged and she finally rolled her eyes before gesturing for him to come with before bidding the remainder of the hobbits goodbye with a wave and small smile (though much to Frodo's disdain, Merry hopped up to give the lass a hug).

The two walked back in silence for what seemed like several moments until the Gingko spoke up, "You have quite wonderful friends."

"Yeah," he said shortly, "I'm glad you had fun."

"Me too," she murmured, "I never thought I'd actually miss going out and seemingly trivial things like that, but I was mistaken."

"Well, we'll just have to get you out more now won't we?" he joked and she laughed, the sound of her laughter reminding him of the sound of bells chiming. As they arrived at their hole (as Pashmina was to stay at the Gamgees for the night), Tricollete hesitated at the door before turning to Frodo, all signs of laughter and happiness had washed off of her face.

"Would you like to come in for tea?" she asked quietly, knowing that the request was particularly bizarre for such a late hour and her gaze shifted down to her feet as she bit her lip.

"Sure," he murmured, accepting the offer as she danced around the hole lighting the lamps and candles before preparing tea for the two of them, however he noticed that her light demeanor had almost completely evaporated, which was of some concern for him. Was something wrong?

She placed the two cups of tea in front of the chairs at the table that the two were to sit in and as she sipped at her tea, the candlelight brought to notice the scar on her cheek which was a lot more prominent than it normally was. It was small, no larger than maybe a knuckle or two and seemed a much darker pink in the current light. Sensing his gaze she covered her cheek with her hand and staring down at the table in self-consciousness.

He had made her feel uncomfortable. His gaze shifted down to the dark wood of the table as they both sipped at their tea in silence. Upon finishing, she followed him to the door and as a goodbye, she embraced him…hesitantly. And with a 'thank you', she disappeared back into her home, leaving the male hobbit quite astonished, along with confused, however he tried to not let it bother him as he trudged on home.

The next afternoon he decided to pay her another visit, and was surprised to see Pippin and Pashmina playing outside, the young girl bursting into giggle fits, and soon after Merry joined him as the girl couldn't restrain her laughter any longer and let it burst forth, causing the other two to laugh as well. Tricollete was sitting, leaning against the hill her hole was built upon and reading from a book. However, before Frodo could make his presence noticed, Merry had grabbed her arm, pulling her up in order to join the group.

With a twinge of jealousy striking again, Frodo decided he'd just go visit another day.


End file.
